Chapter 43
Resuming a normal sitting position, Heng Yu took out her calligraphy set and began listing her ideas for Huai City. — Huai City couldn’t rely on agriculture, so they had to develop commerce.
She needed to understand Huai City’s unique products.
“…Is this all?” Inside the empty hall, Heng Yu stood opposite Liaohe, staring at the few items on the table.
There were two types of ore. Liaohe had just introduced them to her. The gold-colored one was simply called “gold stone,” and the white one with gray streaks was called “crane stone.” Because they were hard and contained traces of spiritual energy, they were often used in construction.
There was also a medicinal herb called “snake grass,” which also contained traces of spiritual energy and could treat snake venom, so apothecaries often bought it.
These three items were Huai City’s unique products.
Heng Yu bent down, picked up a fist-sized gold stone, infused it with spiritual energy, and sensed its flow within the stone.
After a while, she put down the gold stone, picked up a crane stone, and repeated the process.
“What did you sense?”
Liaowu asked after she put down the crane stone.
“The spiritual energy flow in gold stone and crane stone is similar. I’m wondering if I can use them as the main materials for a formation, with the liquid extract of snake grass as the spiritual solution, to create a new type of formation.”
Create… a new formation?
This idea stunned everyone present.
Liaowu knew that she had only been studying formations for a little over a month. She was talented and had mastered the basics, but creating a completely new formation seemed a bit far-fetched.
“But creating a new formation is very difficult, especially with fixed materials,” Liaohe scratched his head, his words tactful.
Liaonian was more direct. “Lord Luo, you’ve only just started learning about formations. Researching a new formation is difficult and time-consuming. We need to return to the sect and can’t stay in Huai City for too long.”
As they voiced their objections, Liaowu looked at Heng Yu.
Her eyes were bright and lively, and she didn’t seem to think her idea was unrealistic.
Seeing her expression, Liaowu silently dismissed his doubts and concerns.
He said gently, “Lord Luo, if you have an idea, then try it. You’ve mastered the basics and understand the fundamental principles. Perhaps you can truly make a breakthrough.”
“The situation in Huai City isn’t your sole responsibility. While you’re researching the formation, this poor monk will also think of other solutions. We can work on both fronts simultaneously.”
His words were both encouraging and reassuring, not putting any pressure on her.
Heng Yu smiled. “Alright, then I won’t waste any time. I’ll return to my room and get to work.”
She waved her sleeve over the table, collecting the materials into her storage ring.
“This poor monk will accompany Lord Luo back.”
Liaowu walked with her out of the hall.
Stepping outside, Liaowu said gently, “Liaohe and Liaonian didn’t mean to offend you, Lord Luo. Please don’t mind them.”
Heng Yu hadn’t taken offense. She was more concerned about something else. “Actually, I think their reactions are normal. It’s you not advising me against wasting time on this that’s unusual.”
She paused, then added, “But I have to say, I like your reaction very much.”
Who wouldn’t like such a gentle, accepting, and trusting response?
Liaowu turned his black prayer beads.
He was used to Heng Yu’s way of speaking but still chuckled softly. “Lord Luo is a confident and proud person. You wouldn’t casually propose something you can’t achieve. So… perhaps you can truly create it? If even this poor monk doubted you, you would be disappointed, wouldn’t you?”
Heng Yu was silent.
Then, she smiled.
“I’m not disappointed.”
“Because I didn’t expect your support, I’m happy now.”
Genuinely happy.
Heng Yu looked up at Liaowu’s handsome face.
She felt her heart flutter, but she quickly suppressed the feeling and calmed herself.
He was such a good person, truly deserving of the title “Light of Buddhism.” How could she ruin his path?
Because she couldn’t bear to, even falling for him was a mistake.
Her gaze fell on the black prayer beads in his hand.
“‘All love meetings, impermanence is hard to find; life is full of fear, life is fragile as morning dew…’”
Heng Yu suddenly recited a verse from the “Miaose King Seeking Dharma.”
Liaowu looked back at her.
His eyes were filled with complex emotions, but Heng Yu, with her head lowered, didn’t notice.
She only heard him continue the verse.
“‘Because of love, there is sorrow, because of love, there is fear; if one is free from love, there is no sorrow, no fear.’”
Entering her room, Heng Yu poured herself a cup of tea.
The tea, brewed before she left, was now cold. Heng Yu drank it all in one gulp, feeling her mind clear.
She stopped thinking about Liaowu and took out all her books on formations, spreading them out on the table.
Then, she sat down and began analyzing the principles of formations.
Were formations difficult?
Yes.
In the entire Canglan Continent, there were fewer than a hundred cultivators who could be called “formation masters.”
But formations weren’t completely without rules.
Like code, they seemed chaotic, but upon closer examination, their applications were fixed.
Finding patterns within the chaos wasn’t difficult for Heng Yu — this was her specialty. She didn’t believe formations could be more difficult than developing the time-travel system she had worked on in her previous life.
Back then, she had created the time-travel system from scratch.
For the next few days, Heng Yu stayed in her room, researching formations.
After dismissing the workers from the north of the city, the Buddhist cultivators of Hanshan Temple recruited new workers at the foot of the mountain. Soon, the construction of the new hall resumed, and the damaged statue was gradually restored by the novices.
Besides these tasks, Liaowu also took other measures to create more job opportunities for the people of Huai City.
He suggested to Abbot Wule that Hanshan Temple establish a school, not to teach the Confucian classics for the imperial examinations, but practical subjects like agriculture, medicine, mathematics, carpentry, and sewing — since the people felt literacy was useless to them, they would start with practical skills to improve literacy rates and make adjustments later.
The school would be free, and to encourage parents to send their children there, Liaowu also stipulated that the school would provide a free lunch, and students with outstanding performance could take home a bag of rice every month.
There was a saying, “Half-grown boys eat their fathers out of house and home.” Teenagers, in their growth spurt, naturally ate a lot. The free lunch alone would entice many parents to send their children to the school.
So, after just two days of spreading the news, the school had enough students.
While Liaowu’s efforts were progressing smoothly, Heng Yu encountered difficulties.
Basic formations could be categorized into three types, and she had summarized their principles.
But applying these principles to create a new formation was the real challenge.
After failing over twenty times, Heng Yu finally understood why Liaohe and Liaonian hadn’t been optimistic about her plan.
However —
“Twenty-six failures mean I have twenty-six case studies to analyze. I still have time to experiment. I don’t believe I can’t succeed after a hundred or two hundred failures.”
Gold stone and crane stone were very hard. Ordinary cultivators at the fifth level of Qi Refining couldn’t break them. These materials were suitable for defensive formations.
Heng Yu had already decided that since this was her first time creating a formation, her requirements wouldn’t be too high. As long as the formation could withstand a full-powered attack from a tenth level Qi Refining cultivator, it would be enough. This formation was mainly intended for low-level Qi Refining cultivators anyway.
Just as Heng Yu was about to make her twenty-seventh attempt, someone knocked on her window.
Sitting by the window, she opened it.
The person outside helped her push the window open further.
Heng Yu saw Liaowu standing outside.
“What’s wrong?” Heng Yu asked with a smile, resting her chin on her hand.
“How’s your research going?”
“Not very smoothly.”
Liaowu said, “Why don’t you take a break and go for a walk?”
She hadn’t left her room for four or five days.
“No, thanks,” Heng Yu shook her head.
She didn’t like going out while working on research.
Liaowu said gently, “Then this poor monk will stand outside and keep you company.”
Heng Yu smiled, picked up her research notes, and offered them to him through the window. “Want to take a look?”
Liaowu accepted them and carefully examined them.
The more he read, the more surprised he became.
There were many similar books on formations in the Undying Sect’s Scripture Pavilion.
But those were written by cultivators who had been studying formations for years.
“Lord Luo’s talent in formations is truly impressive,” Liaowu praised softly after finishing reading.
“Praise me more,” Heng Yu winked at him. “I like being praised.”
Liaowu was speechless.
Then he smiled. “This poor monk has already praised you.”
“Impressive talent in formations” was high praise enough.
Heng Yu gave him some suggestions. “You can praise me in other ways, like my beauty, my dress today, or even my handwriting.”
“Don’t be silly. If you’re bored, go for a walk,” Liaowu said helplessly.
“You’re killing the conversation.”
Heng Yu sighed and continued her research.
Liaowu stood outside the window, closing his eyes and chanting scriptures to cultivate.
For the next two hours, Heng Yu failed eight more times.
However, each failure was a learning experience. She gained a deeper understanding of the properties of gold stone and crane stone, and also found the optimal melting temperature for snake grass.
When she looked up again, she noticed Liaowu was gone.
“He said he would keep me company. Where is he?”
Heng Yu stood up and leaned out the window, just in time to see Liaowu sitting cross-legged below, his eyes closed, turning his prayer beads.
She reached out and patted his head.
Before he opened his eyes, Heng Yu sat back down and continued her experiment.
At some point, Liaowu slowly opened his eyes.
He touched his head.
Sighing silently, he closed his eyes and continued cultivating.
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